“Sidewinder, which falls far short of what a proper fighter carries.”
Say again?
Not what a proper fighter carries. . .what is a proper fighter?
The F-15C and F-15E carries the heater. . .are they not a proper fighter? And the AIM-9X is superb and super reliable and lethal. . .isn’t that a proper A/A weapon?
We design jets to operate BVR BUT we also recognize there is a need to operate within a phone booth. . sometimes you simply can’t avoid the merge and you better have *something* for that fight, and a gun and a heater are perfect for that engagement.
IMHO. . .of course.
A proper air to air fighter carries more than Sidewinders. It carries medium and long range missiles in addition to the short range Sidewinders - and that’s the point. A proper fighter can sit back outside of the range the A-10 can hit and simply sling medium and long range missiles at it.